So What Can I Do, the public service weblog promoting ethics in action, presents hundreds of ways we can live as Mahatma Gandhi suggests and "Be the change you want to see in the world." This award-winning blog has been featured in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Positive Thinking Magazine, DarynKagan.com, Our Day to End Poverty, and numerous other print and online publications.
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Sunday, August 20, 2006

Re-envision your 'trash.'

They say one person's trash is another person's treasure, and when you consider what you put into the trash, you'll find that's the truth. We throw away so much that can be reused, refashioned, and recycled; it's a shame to waste so much when there are other alternatives. Here are some ways you can re-envision your 'trash' and reduce your waste:

* Don't waste your newborn's umbilical cord blood. Donate it for use in biomedical research or life-saving medical treatment.

* Don't waste napkins or diapers. Use cloth ones that can be washed an reused over and over again.

* Don't waste your body or organs after death. Donate them for medical treatment or for medical or forensic training.

* Don't waste your hair. When you cut it, donate it it to Locks of Love.

4 comments:

Some great reminders in deed!I recently became familiar with the concept of cord blood and cord blood donation when a friend went through a pregnancy and started to look into having her daughter's donated. Unfortunately, there are no locations in Austin that accept cord blood! I'm not sure if this is due to it being a fairly new practice, lack of interest by the populace, or what. But if more people request this service at their hospitals it will hopefully become more widely available over time. According to the National Morrow Donor Program website, the only location listed in Texas which accepts cord blood donations is one hospital in Houston.

Cord blood can be donated from anywhere in the continental US, though perhaps that wasn't true when your friend gave birth.

From my original cord blood post, as recommended by NMDP: "Contact Cryobanks International if there is no hospital in your area. Donations to Cryobanks are accepted from anywhere in the Continental United States. They'll come and pick it up, and remember donating is free. Cryobanks can be reached at cryo-intl.com or 1-800-869-8608."

That's who we're using and so far the process is working well. Also, awareness is definitely increasing. I have a paper coming out on the many new cord blood laws in the US that are designed to increase the number of cord blood donations. Look for it in December issue of the American Journal of Bioethics.

Thanks for your continued readership, Sunny. I hope you'll stop by again soon, and, of course, spread the word.